"Tim Cook" racks up some votes in New Hampshire's Republican primary. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
If Tim Cook ever parts with Apple, his resume for becoming a politician is looking pretty strong.
Not only has Cook become one of the most prominent campaigners for human rights and environmentalism in corporate America, he also just scored some legit political cred by getting as many votes in the New Hampshire GOP primary as former 2016 presidential candidate Bobby Jindal … kind of.
Step right up and place your AAPL bets. Photo: Apple
Stocks have been getting crushed all year, but according to Goldman Sachs, now is the perfect time to starting betting on Apple options.
Goldman Sachs’ options team has pointed out that Apple options prices are especially low right now compared to the the S&P 500, making it a great target for purchasing a ‘straddle’, which could score investors a big payday if Apple shares move higher or lower than currently expected.
Straddle options work by allowing investors to purchase a bullish and bearish option on a stock so that they make money off the volatility of shares. It’s an advanced investment for most traders to make and it’s not cheap, but Susquehanna’s Stacey Gilbert explains that it’s cheap relative to volatility expectations for the overall market.
The dreaded "Error 53" can turn an iPhone into a shiny brick. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple is in the midst of an all-new controversy, thanks to the mysterious “Error 53” message that is bricking iPhones without warning.
The problem can hit DIY types or anybody who has ever had a Touch ID sensor (or other iPhone hardware) replaced by a repair shop not authorized by Apple. When they update iOS, the device locks down, displaying the cryptic Error 53 message and rendering the iPhone virtually worthless.
Apple says Error 53 is actually a security feature of iOS 9 that keeps your personal information secure, but customers aren’t convinced. Cult of Mac talked to iPhone repair and and parts experts to find out what exactly is going on. The truth is that Error 53 has plagued many iPhone owners, not just those who have replaced Touch ID — and it’s not totally clear why.
Apple employees can make thousands selling their login info. Photo: Apple
Apple employees are being assaulted with offers from hackers to give them login details to Apple’s internal servers, and they’re willing to pay a king’s ransom if you’ve got the right info.
In Ireland, employees have received offers of over $20,000 for their Apple ID login, but it appears that Apple is well aware of the problem and has launched a new program to combat the problem.
Unauthorized repairs could brick your iPhone. Photo: Apple
A U.S. law firm is considering filing a class-action lawsuit against Apple for the “Error 53” security measure that permanently disables iPhones that have been fixed by unauthorized repair shops instead of Apple’s Genius Bar.
Controversy surrounding the Error 53 message erupted last week after it was found that repairs involving Touch ID can potentially brick iPhones without any warning. Apple insists Error 53 is a feature of iOS, but many have pointed out that the company appears to be using it as a tool to keep iPhone users from getting their devices repaired by anyone but Apple Stores.
Account switching is coming to Instagram. Photo: Instagram
Switching between multiple Instagram accounts will get a whole lot easier this week.
Instagram has tested a new feature for months that allows users to manage multiple accounts without logging out and signing in again every time. The company revealed today that its account-switching feature is finally ready for prime time and will roll out to iOS and Android very soon.
Apple has unleashed a huge batch of beta updates today for all of its platforms today, including a new beta build of OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 that promises to squash more bugs and bring better performance than ever to your Mac.
Priority makes owning a bike simple. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
Best List: Priority Bicycles Classic Diamond frame bike
When it comes to bicycles I am profoundly inept. Riding is fine. Just don’t ask me to fix it when it breaks.
My assembly and maintenance skills are so bad, the last time I reviewed a bike I put a critical piece on the wrong side and didn’t realize my error for weeks until someone finally pointed it out in pics.
So when the folks at Priority Bicycles told me they have a bike that pretty much never ever needs repairs, I couldn’t wait to saddle up and see how well it rides.
Will Apple finally deliver one of our most-requested features for watchOS? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Developers can now download the third beta builds of tvOS 9.2 and watchOS 2.2, which bring a number of changes to the Apple Watch and Apple TV platforms.
Apple’s release notes for the software updates don’t contain clues about the new features, but users who have already installed tvOS 9.2 beta 3 report that it adds the ability to use dictation to insert text in search fields as well as the ability to use Siri search in the App Store.
The third beta of iOS 9.3 has been seeded to developers today two weeks after Apple pushed out the last update that brought new features for Control Center, NightShift mode, and more.
Twitter is not impressed with Tim Cook's photography skills. Photo: Tim CookTwitter
Apple didn’t shell out for a super-expensive Super Bowl commercial last night, but CEO Tim Cook still managed to bring tons of attention to the iPhone — just not in the way he intended.
Celebrating the Bronco’s ugly victory over the Panthers last night, Cook tweeted a picture of the post-game festivities from the 20 yard line. It’s a position millions of people would’ve died to be in, but the only thing Twitter seemed to care about was how horribly blurry Tim’s photo turned out, leading to a flood of “shot on iPhone” jokes.
YAAAR mateys! The Pirate Bay is now streaming. Photo: The Pirate Bay
The world’s largest torrenting site is making it easier than ever to watch all the movies and tv shows your too cheap to pay for.
Starting today, visitors of the Pirate Bay can use a new plugin called Torrents Time that allows you to stream torrents directly in your browser so you don’t need to download anything.
It won’t happen until 2020 at the earliest. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The most popular social network in the world is ruining your iPhone’s battery life.
Facebook’s iOS app is in the hot seat again this week thanks to a new report that reveals iPhone users can get up to 15% more battery life if they simply delete Facebook’s resource hogging app and just use the Safari app instead.
Unreal Engine 4 lets you build in VR. Photo: Unreal EngineYouTube
Virtual Reality isn’t just going to change how we consume content. It’s going totally change how we make content for the digital world too.
Developers at Epic Games have already created a way to build VR games using the Unreal Editor in VR mode, and it’s unlike any software development tool you’ve ever seen. Rather than clicking around on a 2D screen, designers Tim Sweeney and Mike Fricker show how game makers can walk around inside levels to manipulate objects and get everything just right.
Swiss freeskier Nicolas Vuignier has created a crazy new photography rig that can create matrix-like slo-mo video, only you don’t need a drone or a bunch of GoPros to pull it off. You just need some string and your iPhone.
Vuignier posted an incredible video of his contraption in action, which he calls the Centriphone. The project has been two years in the making and it looks totally worth it. The device works like a sling that twirls around you to capture 360 views that look absolutely gorgeous in slo-mo. Toss in some powder and half-pipes and it’s an adrenaline junkie’s dream toy.
Getting a broken home button on your iPhone 6 replaced may cause the entire device to become a worthless brick of metal and glass.
Thanks to a new feature in a software update recently pushed out by Apple, thousands of iPhone users who had their devices fixed by non-official repair shops have been greeted by a disastrous “error 53” message that locks the device — and even the Apple Store can’t bring it back from the dead.
iPhone users will soon be able to get their chicken fix without busting out their wallets.
Apple revealed today that Apple Pay is now accepted at more than 2 million locations across the US, and it’s continuing to grow by adding new retailers like fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, Crate & Barrel, as well as Au Bon Pain.
The demons are back. The first trailer for DOOM‘s campaign mode was revealed this morning by Bethesda, and it’s way more intense than the original version you fought through on your Mac back in the 90’s.
The game puts you in the boots of the iconic DOOM Marine who wakes up to find out the Union Aerospace Corporation’s facility on Mars has been decimated by Hell’s worst demons. You are humanity’s last hope armed with an array of unbelievably awesome weapons, but based on the new trailer humanity is, well, doomed.
You could grab your DSLR. Nah, the iPhone will do the job. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s favorite camera sensor maker may have just dropped a big hint that a dual-lens camera is coming to the iPhone 7 later this year.
Sony CFO Kenichiro Yoshida revealed yesterday during the company’s Q3 FY15 earnings call that its dual-lens camera platform will be featured in a range of products from “major smartphone players” over the next year.
Excuse me, where's the trash? Photo: HahaBird/Imgur
We’ve seen old busted Macs get transformed into everything from aquariums to planters, but have you ever seen a Mac go from the dumpster to a trash can you can toss all your rubbish in?
One Redditor has created a trash can fit for Steve Jobs by taking a Macintosh that had been sitting in his attic for 15 years and giving it a second life as a receptacle for all his garbage, complete with a swinging door that looks just like a Mac display.
Square's contactless payments reader is here. Photo: Square
Businesses across the US are pretty much out of excuses for not accepting Apple Pay now that Square’s wireless card reader is ready for prime time.
Starting today, every Apple Store in the US is now selling the new Square card readers that bring Apple Pay support as well as the ability to accept new chip-and-pin cards for transactions.
Apple may not have shown much interest in diving into virtual reality over the past few years, but the director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab says the company has shown some intense interest in the space recently.
Speaking at a technology conference this week, Jeremy Bailenson revealed that Apple employees have become regulars in his lab recently — and they won’t say why.
Got a new iPhone? Set it up right. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The iPhone 7 may not look that much different from the iPhone 6s, according to a new rumor claiming that Apple’s next smartphone will only feature two big design changes.
One of the biggest producers in hip hop (and Snapchat) is coming to Beats 1 Radio.
DJ Khaled revealed on Instagram that he has signed a deal to produce a weekly show for Apple Music called ‘We The Best’ that will broadcast every Friday night. To kick things off, Khaled is going big by exclusively debuting Future’s entire new album Purple Reign.
Get your Apple Watch ready for your new iPhone. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The iPhone might not be the only device getting an incremental upgrade at Apple’s next keynote, which is rumored to take place March 15.
In a note to investors this morning, Apple analyst Gene Munster claims Apple Watch may get a slight hardware upgrade this spring that will include a better processor, improved battery life and other new internal components.